Loading device

Abstract

To provide a loading device which can prevent falling when a laser diode bar that is bent in the longitudinal direction is placed on a bar holder, and on which the laser diode bar and a spacer can be alternately and correctly loaded.SOLUTION: A loading jig 51 comprises a regulation surface 51a with which side surfaces of a laser diode bar 60 and a spacer 71 alternately loaded are brought into contact, and a support surface 51b orthogonal to the regulation surface 51a, and the laser diode bar and the spacer are loaded thereon. The regulation surface 51a is arranged so as to be inclined with respect to the horizontal surface. A loading device includes a guide pin 55 which can protrude from / retract from the regulation surface 51a. The guide pin 55 retracts from the regulation surface 51a when the laser diode bar 60 or the spacer 71 is loaded on the loading jig 51, protrudes again from the regulation surface 51a after the laser diode bar 60 or the spacer 71 is loaded, and is located with a prescribed gap with a height position H from the support surface 51b being the total sum of the thicknesses of all the members loaded on the support surface 51b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present application relates to a loading device that loads a plurality of laser diode bars as one form of laser diode manufacturing process, and in particular to a loading device that loads thin and highly brittle laser diode bars alternately with spacers with their sides aligned. [Background technology]

[0002] With the spread of disc-type recording media such as Blu-ray Discs, DVDs, and CDs, as well as optical communications, laser diodes, which are used to write and read data on these recording media and to send and receive data in optical communications, are becoming increasingly popular.

[0003] Laser diodes can emit strong light with high coherence by injecting current into the pn junction and oscillating the light obtained, but in order to oscillate the laser, the end faces must be made into reflective mirror surfaces, which are cleaved surfaces, and a sputtering process must be performed on the cross sections cut out from the wafer. In order to improve manufacturing efficiency, this sputtering process is performed by aligning the side faces of the laser diode bars that are in rod form before being individually cleaved into laser chips, stacking multiple bars, and sputtering them all at once.

[0004] For this reason, a loading jig called a bar holder is used to stack multiple laser diode bars with their sides aligned, and the laser diode bars and spacers, which are stored in separate locations, are loaded alternately onto the bar holder.

[0005] In this way, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus has been proposed in which a first loading surface where the side surfaces of the laser diode bars and spacers abut is tilted relative to the horizontal plane as a bar holder for loading laser diode bars and spacers alternately, and the laser diode bars and spacers are loaded alternately side-by-side on this first loading surface (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-77454 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The bar holder in the above-mentioned conventional technology loads the laser diode bars and spacers side by side on a first loading surface inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, and the inclination angle of this first loading surface is set to an angle that prevents the loaded laser diode bars and spacers from falling over and allows them to be aligned by their own weight, so that the laser diode bars can be loaded and arranged with the surfaces on which the sputtering process is performed aligned without damaging the surfaces of the laser diode bars.

[0008] However, in recent years, with the advancement of technology for increasing the density of information by utilizing higher frequency laser light, the thickness of the laser diodes used has become thinner, and inevitably, thinner laser diode bars than before are becoming mainstream.

[0009] Such thin laser diode bars are easily deformed by heat treatment during the manufacturing process, and they are often found to be curved in the length direction, i.e., warped. When laser diode bars curved in the length direction are loaded side by side on the first loading surface that is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, they may tip over after being placed on the bar holder, resulting in improper loading.

[0010] Therefore, the present application aims to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems and provide a loading device that can prevent laser diode bars that are curved in the longitudinal direction from falling over when placed on a bar holder and can correctly load them alternately with spacers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to solve the above problems, the loading device disclosed in the present application is a loading device that alternately loads laser diode bars and spacers on a loading jig, the loading jig having a control surface where the side of the laser diode bar and the side of the spacer abut, and a support surface perpendicular to the control surface and on which the laser diode bar and the spacer are loaded, the control surface is arranged at an angle with respect to a horizontal plane, and is provided with a guide pin that can protrude and retract from the control surface, the guide pin retracts from the control surface when the laser diode bar or the spacer is loaded on the loading jig, and protrudes from the control surface again after the laser diode bar or the spacer is loaded, and is positioned with a predetermined gap between it and a height position from the support surface that is the sum of the thicknesses of all components loaded on the support surface. Effect of the Invention

[0012] With the above configuration, the loading device disclosed in the present application can prevent the laser diode bars and spacers from falling over due to the guide pins when the spacers and the laser diode bars are alternately loaded on the loading jig. As a result, even thin laser diode bars corresponding to high frequency bands can be reliably loaded alternately with the spacers. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view for explaining the overall configuration of a loading device according to this embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an image diagram for explaining the configuration of the bar holder of the loading device according to this embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the positional relationship between the bar holder, the head of the suction collet, and the guide pin of the loading device according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating a first state of a process in which laser diode bars are loaded onto a bar holder in the loading device according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating a second state of the process in which laser diode bars are loaded onto the bar holder in the loading device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating a third state of the process in which laser diode bars are loaded onto the bar holder in the loading device according to this embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a side view illustrating a fourth state of the process in which laser diode bars are loaded onto the bar holder in the loading device according to this embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a side view illustrating a fifth state of the process in which laser diode bars are loaded onto the bar holders in the loading device according to this embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a side view illustrating a sixth state of the process in which the laser diode bars are loaded onto the bar holder in the loading device according to this embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a side view illustrating a seventh state of the process in which the laser diode bars are loaded onto the bar holder in the loading device according to this embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a second configuration of the bar holder of the loading device according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] The loading device of the present disclosure is a loading device that alternately loads laser diode bars and spacers onto a loading jig, the loading jig having a regulating surface where the side of the laser diode bar and the side of the spacer abut, and a support surface perpendicular to the regulating surface on which the laser diode bar and the spacer are loaded, the regulating surface is arranged at an angle with respect to a horizontal plane, and is provided with a guide pin that can protrude and retract from the regulating surface, the guide pin retracts from the regulating surface when the laser diode bar or the spacer is loaded onto the loading jig, and protrudes again from the regulating surface after the laser diode bar or the spacer has been loaded, and is positioned with a predetermined gap between it and a height position from the support surface which is the sum of the thicknesses of all components loaded on the support surface.

[0015] In this way, the loading device disclosed in the present application can effectively prevent the laser diode bars and spacers loaded on the loading jig from falling over by the guide pins, and can properly stack thin laser diode bars and spacers alternately. Note that in this specification, the "horizontal plane" refers to a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction (the direction of gravity).

[0016] In the loading device of the present disclosure, it is preferable that the size of the predetermined gap is less than 60% of the width of the laser diode bar, which can prevent the loaded laser diode bar from falling over even if it is tilted.

[0017] In addition, it is preferable that the guide pin protrudes from the regulating surface at a position where a gap wider than the predetermined gap is formed, and then moves to a position where the predetermined gap is formed. In this way, the action of protruding the guide pin can be prevented from affecting the laser diode bars and spacers that are loaded.

[0018] Furthermore, it is preferable that the suction collet that transfers the laser diode bar or the spacer to the loading device moves the side of the laser diode bar or the side of the spacer to be loaded close to the regulating surface at a position above the guide pin, and then moves the suctioned laser diode bar or the spacer downward to load it after the guide pin retracts from the regulating surface. In this way, it is possible to prevent the laser diode bar or the spacer from falling over due to the movement of the laser diode bar or the spacer to be loaded next being carried to the loading position.

[0019] Furthermore, after the guide pin protrudes to the position having the predetermined gap, it is preferable that the loading jig and the guide pin move downward along the regulating surface by an amount corresponding to the thickness of the laser diode bar or spacer to be loaded next. In this way, the positional relationship between the last loaded laser diode bar or spacer and the suction collet can always be kept the same without changing the height of the suction collet that transfers the laser diode bar or spacer.

[0020] In addition, it is preferable that the regulating surface further has suction ports for suctioning the side surfaces of the loaded laser diode bars and the spacers, thereby making it possible to reliably bring the side surfaces of the loaded laser diode bars and the spacers into close contact with the regulating surface.

[0021] Furthermore, it is preferable that the laser diode bar and the spacer are further provided with a holding member capable of supporting the side surface opposite to the restricting surface of the loaded laser diode bar and the spacer, thereby making it possible to reliably prevent the loaded laser diode bar and the spacer from collapsing.

[0022] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the loading device disclosed in the present application will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0023] (Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the overall configuration of a loading device according to this embodiment.

[0024] The loading device 100 shown in FIG. 1 stacks a plurality of laser diode bars on bar holders (51, 53) serving as a loading jig with spacers between them, aligning the side surfaces of the bars so that they are flush with each other.

[0025] The loading device 100 shown in Fig. 1 has a peeling stage 10 having a circular shape in a plan view, a first conveying section 20, an intermediate stage 30, a second conveying section 40, and a central stage 50. The loading device 100 according to this embodiment has two sets of transfer mechanisms for the entire process from the peeling stage 10 to the second conveying section 40, which are arranged substantially symmetrically with respect to a left-right center line passing through the center stage 50 located at the center of the loading device 100. The first transfer mechanism on the right side of the figure transfers the laser diode bars to the central stage 50, and the second transfer mechanism on the right side of the figure transfers the spacers, which are stacked alternately with the laser diode bars in the bar holder, to the central stage 50.

[0026] In the loading device 100 according to this embodiment, the first transfer mechanism for transferring laser diode bars and the second transfer mechanism for transferring spacers have the same configuration and differ only in the material that they transfer. For this reason, in this specification, the members constituting the second transfer mechanism for transferring spacers are given the same names as the members of the first transfer mechanism, i.e., peeling stage 10', first conveying section 20', intermediate stage 30', and second conveying section 40', respectively, and are distinguished by adding "' to the reference numerals, but detailed explanations of each member will be omitted.

[0027] The peeling stage 10 is a member having a circular shape in a plan view, and an adhesive member and a plurality of laser diode bars arranged side by side on the adhesive member are mounted on the upper surface of the peeling stage 10. The diameter of the peeling stage 10 is formed to be slightly larger than the diameter of the gallium arsenide substrate from which the laser diode bars are fabricated, so that the gallium arsenide substrate is cut out and divided into individual laser diode bars, which are mounted on an adhesive tape, which is an adhesive sheet having approximately the same diameter as the gallium arsenide substrate, and the resulting bar can be placed directly on the peeling stage.

[0028] In addition, in the loading device of this embodiment, a gel pack tray 11 configured to accommodate multiple approximately square gel packs can be appropriately attached to the peeling stage 10 so that laser diode bars arranged on gel packs made of a gel-like special polymer material or the like can be peeled off and transferred.

[0029] The first conveying section 20 is a member that moves left and right within the range of arrow A shown in Figure 1, and is equipped with a suction head 21 (details not shown) and a camera 22 that checks the position of the laser diode bar on the peeling stage 10, and based on the image from the camera 22, detailed information such as the position and angle of the laser diode bar to be peeled and transferred is grasped, and further, while checking the position of the suction head 21, the tip portion (not shown) of the suction head 21 is controlled so as to accurately adsorb the laser diode bar to be transferred.

[0030] The intermediate stage 30 is disposed between the supply ring section 12, on whose upper surface the peeling stage 10 is disposed, and the central stage 50, which is located in the center of the loading device, and functions as a relay point for changing the angle of the surface direction of the laser diode bar peeled off from the peeling stage 10 by the first conveying section 20, and transferring it to the bar holders (51, 53) on the central stage 50.

[0031] In the loading device 100 according to this embodiment, the bar holders (51, 53) are arranged on the central stage with the lamination direction of the laser diode bars and spacers inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical axis so that the laser diode bars and spacers are stored with their sides on which sputtering is performed aligned flush with each other. On the other hand, the upper surface of the peeling stage 10 is maintained horizontal, that is, perpendicular to the vertical axis, so that the surface direction of the laser diode bars arranged on the upper surface of the peeling stage 10 is horizontal. Therefore, in the intermediate stage 30, the angle of the surface direction of the laser diode bars is changed from the horizontal direction on the peeling stage to the inclination angle of the regulating surface 51a (see FIG. 2) of the bar holders (51, 53).

[0032] Specifically, the intermediate stage 30 has a bar-mounted stage 32 attached to a rotating shaft extending from a guide mechanism 31, an actuator 33 that rotates this rotating shaft, and a camera 34 that monitors the laser diode bar arranged on the bar-mounted stage 32.

[0033] First, with the upper surface of the bar mounting stage 32 maintained horizontal, the laser diode bar transported by the first transport unit 20 is transferred onto the bar mounting stage 32. Then, with the upper surface of the bar mounting stage 32 tilted by the actuator 33 to the same angle as the tilt angle of the bar holders (51, 53), the laser diode bar is transferred from the bar mounting stage 32 to the bar holders (51, 53) on the central stage 50 by the suction collet 40, which is the second transport unit.

[0034] Similarly to the first conveyor 20, the suction collet 40 serving as the second conveyor includes a suction head 41 (see FIG. 2) for suctioning the laser diode bar, and a camera (not shown) for checking the state of the laser diode bar.

[0035] The loading device 100 according to this embodiment is provided with two bar holders (51, 53) serving as loading jigs on the central stage 50. In this manner, after the laser diode bars and spacers are loaded onto one bar holder 51, the laser diode bars and spacers can be loaded onto the other bar holder 53 while the bar holder 51 is being removed and carried away for the next sputtering process, which is efficient. For this reason, the arrows B and B' indicating the movable ranges of the second transport parts 40 and 40' are set so that the laser diode bars and spacers can be transferred from the left and right intermediate stages 30 and 30' to the two bar holders 51 and 53.

[0036] Further, the bar holders 51, 53 are formed with a loading mechanism that can load the laser diode bars and spacers, which have been transferred to the bar holders 51, 53 by the suction heads (41) of the suction collets 40, 40', which are the second transfer sections, alternately without the laser diode bars falling over. The details of the mechanism that alternately loads the laser diode bars and spacers onto the bar holders 51, 53 will be described later.

[0037] As described above, the laser diode bar adjusted to the inclination angle of the bar holder (51, 53) on the bar mounting stage 32 of the intermediate stage 30 is transferred to the bar holder (51, 53) on the central stage by the suction collet 40, which is the second transport unit. Next, in the second transfer mechanism, the spacer adjusted to the inclination angle of the bar holder (31, 33) on the spacer mounting stage 32' of the intermediate stage 30' in the same manner as the laser diode bar is transferred to the bar holder (51, 53) on the central stage by the suction collet 40', which is the second transport unit. This is repeated alternately, and the laser diode bar and the spacer are arranged alternately on the bar holder (51, 53) with their side surfaces regulated to be flush.

[0038] It should be noted that the above is merely one example of the configuration of the loading device 100 according to this embodiment, and it goes without saying that the specific configuration of the loading device 100 can take various forms as long as the laser diode bars and spacers can be transferred and alternately loaded into the bar holder.

[0039] In particular, the configuration adopted in the above-mentioned loading device 100, which has two bar holders 51, 53, and the configuration in which the peeling stage 10 and the intermediate stage 30 are arranged symmetrically on the left and right sides around the central stage 50 on which the bar holders 51, 53 are arranged, are configurations for improving manufacturing efficiency and are not essential configurations for the loading device disclosed in the present application.

[0040] Next, a detailed description will be given of the process of alternately loading laser diode bars and spacers onto the bar holders 51, 53 in the loading device 100 according to this embodiment. As described above, the two bar holders 51, 53 of the loading device 100 in this embodiment have the same configuration, so the first bar holder 51 will be described below as an example.

[0041] In addition, the drawings used in the following explanation are intended to clearly explain how the laser diode bars and spacers are stacked, and the sizes of each component, including the laser diode bars and spacers, do not necessarily reflect their actual sizes.

[0042] FIG. 2 is an image diagram for explaining the configuration of the bar holder of the loading device according to this embodiment.

[0043] In the following description, the loading direction of the laser diode bars and spacers, i.e., the direction in which they are stacked along the regulating surface 51a (direction A in the figure), may be referred to as "upper," and the direction toward the support surface 51b (direction B in the figure) may be referred to as "lower."

[0044] As shown in FIG. 2, the bar holder 51 of the loading device in this embodiment has a regulating surface 51a inclined at a predetermined angle α with respect to the horizontal plane H, and a support surface 51b formed perpendicular to this regulating surface 51a, i.e., inclined at (90°-α)° with respect to the horizontal plane H, on which the laser diode bar 60 and spacers 71, 72 are loaded.

[0045] Here, the inclination angle α of the regulating surface 51a is preferably 15° to 45°. If the inclination angle α is smaller than 15°, the curved, i.e., warped, laser diode bar 60 is likely to fall over, and if the inclination angle α is larger than 45°, the laminate of the laser diode bar and the spacer is likely to collapse on the side opposite to the regulating surface 51a. Note that the inclination angle α is preferably set appropriately and optimally depending on the shape (length, width, thickness) and number of the laser diode bars 60 to be loaded.

[0046] In the loading device according to this embodiment, a thick spacer 72 having a large thickness is first loaded on the support surface 51b of the bar holder 51, and a first laser diode bar 60 is loaded on the upper surface of this thick spacer 72. Next, a first spacer 71 is stacked on top of this first laser diode bar 60, and the laser diode bars 60 and spacers 71 are alternately loaded in the order of the second laser diode bar 60, the second spacer 71, the third laser diode bar 60, and the third spacer 71.

[0047] Here, the laser diode bar 60 loaded on the bar holder 51 has, for example, a width (W: see FIG. 3) of 150 μm, a length (L: see FIG. 3) of 20 mm, and a thickness (not shown) of 100 μm. The spacer 71 is generally made of silicon or the like, and has, for example, a width W of 140 μm, a length L of 22 mm, and a thickness of 100 μm, and the thick spacer 72 has, for example, a width W of 1500 μm, a length L of 30 mm, and a thickness of 150 μm.

[0048] In this way, by first loading the thick spacer 72 onto the support surface 51b, a laminate of the laser diode bar 60 and the spacer 71 is formed on the thick spacer 72, which makes it easier to handle the laminate of the laser diode bar 60 and the spacer 71 when moving it to the next process where the sputtering process is performed after loading is completed.

[0049] 2 shows a state in which the laser diode bar 60 is loaded on the top spacer 71 loaded on the support surface 51b. The state is shown in which the diode bar 60, whose main surface direction is inclined by (90°-α)° with respect to the horizontal plane on the intermediate stage 30, is sucked by the head 41 of the suction collet 40, which is the second transport section, and is carried to a loading position where it overlaps with the last spacer 71 loaded.

[0050] At this time, a guide pin 55 is disposed on the upper surface side of the uppermost spacer 71 so as to protrude from a regulating surface 51a toward the position where the laser diode bar 60 and the spacers 71, 72 are to be loaded.

[0051] In this specification, the guide pin 55 protruding from the regulating surface 51a refers to a state in which at least a part of the guide pin 55 protrudes from the regulating surface 51a and is located in the area where the laser diode bars 60 and the spacers 71 are loaded. Also, the guide pin 55 retracts refers to a state in which the tip portion of the guide pin 55 is located rearward of the regulating surface 51a (rearward in FIG. 2, that is, downward when the regulating surface 51a is considered as the reference surface) and is not located in the area where the laser diode bars 60 and the spacers 71 are loaded.

[0052] Here, the protruding position of guide pin 55 is a position where a predetermined gap (for example, 50 μm) is formed between height position H from support surface 51b, which is the sum of the thicknesses of all components loaded on support surface 51b (specifically, in the case of Figure 2, one thick spacer 72, 13 laser diode bars 60, and 13 spacers 71, a total of 27 components) and the underside of guide pin 55, i.e., the surface facing support surface 51b of bar holder 51, and guide pin 55 is not in contact with the topmost spacer 71.

[0053] The height position H from the support surface 51b mentioned above is the sum of the thicknesses of all the components loaded on the support surface 51b, and therefore corresponds to the position of the top surface of the last component loaded when there is no deformation such as warping in any of the loaded components.

[0054] Moreover, the above-mentioned predetermined gap is preferably set to a size that prevents the loaded laser diode bars 60 from falling over onto the regulating surface 51a even if the loaded laser diode bars 60 are warped, and is preferably set to less than 60% of the width W of the laser diode bars 60. The inventors confirmed that when the loaded laser diode bars 60 are warped and tilt from a plane parallel to the loading surface 51b toward the regulating surface 51a by about 30° or more, the laser diode bars 60 are highly likely to fall over onto the regulating surface 51a. In addition, considering the range in which the tilted laser diode bars 60 leaning against the guide pins 55 can be pushed back by the operation of loading the next spacer 71 to be placed thereon, it was confirmed that the size of the gap between the last loaded spacer 71 and the guide pins 55 is preferably set to less than 60% of the width W of the laser diode bars.

[0055] The minimum value of the predetermined gap between the height H from the support surface 51b, which is the sum of the thicknesses of all the members loaded on the support surface 51b, and the lower surface of the guide pin 55 is preferably 10 μm. In the bar holder 51 of the loading device according to this embodiment, a recess 51c extending in the loading direction of the laser diode bar 60 and the spacer 71 is formed in the center part of the regulating surface 51a, so that even if the head 41 of the suction collet that suctions the laser diode bar 60 protrudes beyond the width of the laser diode bar 60, the tip part of the head 41 of the suction collet 40 does not contact the regulating surface 51a. In addition, a pair of slit-shaped suction ports 51d extending in the vertical direction are formed in the regulating surface 51a on both sides of the recess 51c, so that the side surfaces of the laser diode bar 60 and the spacer 71 in a loaded state after being removed from the head 40 of the suction collet can be tightly attached to the regulating surface 51a.

[0056] 3 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the bar holder, the head of the suction collet, and the guide pin in the bar holder according to this embodiment, and is a diagram showing the state shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the direction of arrow C shown in FIG.

[0057] 3, the head 41 of the suction collet is formed so that both side portions protrude further from the center, and suction ports 42 for suctioning the laser diode bar 60 are formed in the protruding portions on both sides. In this way, the suction ports 42 for suctioning the laser diode bar 60 are arranged at intervals, and the laser diode bar 60, which is longer in the length L direction than in the width W direction, can be stably suctioned and held.

[0058] In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, by positioning guide pin 55 at the center of suction collet head 41, i.e., between the protruding portions on both sides, interference between suction collet head 41 and guide pin 55 is prevented.

[0059] 3, the tip position of the guide pin 55 coincides with the side position of the side different from the regulating surface 51a of the laser diode bar 60 to be loaded, but the tip position of the guide pin 55 in the protruding state in the loading device according to this embodiment is not limited to coincide with the side position of the laser diode bar 60. The tip position of the guide pin 55 in the protruding state needs only to protrude to a position of more than half the width W of the laser diode bar 60 or spacer 71 to a range that can prevent the loaded laser diode bar 60 or spacer 71 from falling over, and there is no problem even if the tip position of the guide pin 55 exceeds the width W of the loaded laser diode bar 60 or spacer 71 to a range that does not cause interference with the head 41 of the suction collet.

[0060] 2 and 3 show the state where the laser diode bar 60 is loaded on the last loaded spacer 71, but the same applies to the case where the spacer 71 is loaded on the laser diode bar 60. Although detailed illustration is omitted, in this case, in the second transfer mechanism, the spacer that is adjusted to the inclination angle of the bar holder (31, 33) on the spacer mounting stage 32' of the intermediate stage 30' is transferred to the bar holder 51 on the central stage by the suction collet that is the second transport section 40'. At this time, the guide pin 55 is in a state of protruding from the regulating surface 51a with a predetermined gap between it and the upper surface of the last loaded laser diode bar 60.

[0061] As described above, the spacer 71 is formed from a metal material such as silicon or stainless steel, and is therefore unlikely to warp as occurs with the laser diode bar 60, which undergoes a heat treatment process during manufacture. However, the loading device shown in this embodiment can prevent the spacer 71 from falling over even if it is warped, as is the laser diode bar 60.

[0062] Next, using Figures 4 to 10, we will explain the operation of the bar holder, the head portion of the suction collet, and the guide pin when laser diode bars and spacers are alternately loaded onto the bar holder in the loading device of this embodiment.

[0063] FIG. 4 shows a first state of the process in which the laser diode bars are loaded onto the bar holder.

[0064] As shown in Fig. 4, in this state, guide pin 55 protrudes with a predetermined gap from the upper surface side of the last loaded spacer 71. The suction collet head 41 moves in the direction shown by arrow a in Fig. 4 with the laser diode bar 60 suctioned by the suction port 42. At this time, the suction collet head 41 moves so that the suctioned laser diode bar 60 is positioned further above the upper surface of the guide pin 55, and moves until the side surface of the suctioned laser diode bar 60 is in a position just short of the position where it abuts against the regulating surface 51a of the bar holder 51.

[0065] FIG. 5 shows a second state of the process in which the laser diode bars are loaded onto the bar holder.

[0066] 5, the head 41 of the suction collet moves downward along the regulating surface 51a of the bar holder 51 with the side of the laser diode bar 60 to be loaded next in close proximity to the regulating surface 51a (arrow b in the figure). At this time, the guide pin 55 remains in a protruding state at its original position with a predetermined gap on the upper surface side of the last loaded spacer 71.

[0067] FIG. 6 shows a third state of the process in which the laser diode bars are loaded onto the bar holder.

[0068] As shown in Figure 6, when the adsorbed laser diode bar 60 approaches the guide pin 55, the guide pin 55 retracts from its protruding state from the regulating surface 51a so as not to come into contact with the laser diode bar 60 into the inside of the bar holder 51 (arrow c in the figure), and its tip does not protrude from the regulating surface 51a.

[0069] When the guide pins 55 are retracted, the head 41 of the suction collet further descends (arrow d in the figure) and moves to a position where the laser diode bar 60 is loaded onto the spacer 71 .

[0070] In this way, the guide pin 55 retracts from the regulating surface 51a when the loaded laser diode bar 60 comes sufficiently close to the spacer 71, thereby preventing the uppermost spacer 71 from falling onto the regulating surface 51a.

[0071] Furthermore, when the guide pins 55 are retracted, the next laser diode bar 60 to be loaded is sufficiently close to the spacer 71, so that the laser diode bar 60 can prevent the spacer 71 from falling over. As the laser diode bar 60 is loaded onto the spacer 71, the spacer 71 that is about to fall over can be returned to its original position, and the laser diode bar 60 can be properly loaded on its upper surface.

[0072] FIG. 7 shows a fourth state of the process in which the laser diode bars are loaded onto the bar holder.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 7, the guide pin 55, which has retracted into the regulating surface 51a, moves upward along the regulating surface 51a (arrow e in the figure) and again protrudes from the regulating surface 51a while being positioned above the head 41 of the suction collet (arrow f in the figure).

[0074] Furthermore, at the timing when the guide pin 55 moves upward along the regulating surface 51a, the head 41 of the suction collet releases the adsorbed laser diode bar 60 and loads it on the upper surface of the spacer 71. At this time, the laser diode bar 60 is adsorbed to a slit-shaped suction port 51d formed in the regulating surface 51a, and the side surface of the laser diode bar 60 abuts against the regulating surface 51a, so that the side surface is flush with the other laser diode bars 60 and the spacers 71 that are loaded.

[0075] FIG. 8 shows a fifth state of the process in which the laser diode bars 60 are loaded onto the bar holder 51.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 8, guide pin 55 protruding from regulating surface 51a above head 41 of the suction collet descends along regulating surface 55a (arrow g in the figure), approaches the top surface of the uppermost laser diode bar 60, and stops at a position with a predetermined gap between it and the top surface of laser diode bar 60, the gap being the same size as the gap in the first state shown in FIG. 4.

[0077] FIG. 9 shows a sixth state of the process in which laser diode bars 60 are loaded onto bar holder 51.

[0078] As shown in Figure 9, with guide pin 55 protruding from regulating surface 51a at a position with a predetermined gap from the top surface of the last loaded laser diode bar 60, head 41 of the suction collet moves upward along regulating surface 51a (arrow h in the figure), and then head 41 of the suction collet moves away from bar holder 51 (arrow i in the figure).

[0079] FIG. 10 shows a seventh state of the process in which the laser diode bars 60 are loaded onto the bar holder 51.

[0080] When the head 41 of the suction collet leaves the bar holder 51, the bar holder 51 moves downward (indicated by the black arrow j in the figure) along the regulating surface 51a together with the guide pin 55 by a predetermined amount (D). This predetermined amount C is the thickness of the last loaded laser diode bar 60 or spacer 71, and by moving downward by the thickness of the last loaded member in this manner, the height position H from the support surface 51b, which is the sum of the thicknesses of all the members loaded on the support surface 51b, becomes the same height regardless of the number of members loaded. As a result, the positional relationship between the last loaded member and the head 40 of the suction collet can be maintained in the same state without changing the position of the head 41 of the suction collet that transfers the next spacer 71 or laser diode bar 60.

[0081] As described above, the loading operation shown in FIGS. 4 to 10 is repeated, and when the last laser diode bar 60 is loaded, the loading process by the loading device 100 according to this embodiment is completed.

[0082] In addition, by stacking the thick spacer 72, which is initially placed on the support surface 51b, on the laser diode bar 60 that was last loaded, the stack of the laser diode bar 60 and the spacer 71 is protected from the top and bottom by the thick spacer 72. By arranging the thick spacers 71 on the top and bottom in this way, it is possible to avoid a problem that the sputtering process of the side of the laser diode bar 60 is not performed correctly in the sputtering process, in which deposition at both ends in the top and bottom directions of the bar holder 51 tends to be unstable. Furthermore, the thick spacer 72 can also be arranged in the middle of the stack of the laser diode bar 60 and the spacer 71, and the presence of the thick spacer 72 in the middle of the stack can provide a reinforcing effect for the entire stack.

[0083] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining a modified example of the bar holder in the loading device according to the present embodiment.

[0084] Like Fig. 3, Fig. 11 is a view from above the regulating surface 51a (the direction of arrow C in Fig. 2) of the laser diode bars 60 loaded on the support surface 51b of the bar holder 51. Fig. 11, which shows a modified example, differs from the configuration shown in Fig. 3 in that a pressing member 80 is provided on the side of the loaded laser diode bars 60 and spacers 71 opposite to the regulating surface 51a.

[0085] The holding members 80 are disposed in a position close enough to but not in contact with the side surfaces of the laser diode bars 60 and spacers 71 and 72 to be loaded, thereby preventing the loaded laser diode bars 60 and spacers 71 and 72 from collapsing to the side opposite the regulating surface 51a. As shown in FIG. 11, by positioning a pair of holding members 80 at both ends in the length direction of the loaded laser diode bars 60 and spacers 71, the holding members 80 can be prevented from interfering with the operation of the suction collet or the operation of the guide pins 55 in the case where the guide pins protrude beyond the width of the laser diode bars. Another advantage is that the state in which the laser diode bars 60 and spacers 71 are loaded can be observed from between the pair of holding members 80.

[0086] As described above, the loading device described in this embodiment is provided with guide pins that can protrude and retract from the regulating surface of the bar holder, which is the loading jig, and the guide pins are positioned above the uppermost laser diode bar or spacer except when laser diode bars or spacers are loaded, thereby preventing the loaded laser diode bars or spacers from tipping over onto the regulating surface.

[0087] In particular, by providing a predetermined gap between the height position from the support surface, which is the upper surface of the last laser diode bar or spacer loaded during loading, and the guide pin, it is possible to prevent the laser diode bar or spacer from falling over due to the protruding and retracting movements of the guide pin, so that even if the laser diode bar is a thin laser that forms a laser capable of emitting high-frequency laser light, it is possible to reliably achieve alternating loading with the spacer.

[0088] By setting the protruding position of the guide pin as the height position, which is the sum of the thicknesses of all the parts loaded on the support surface, the height position values ​​change sequentially according to the loading condition, from the thick spacer (height position = 0 in this case) loaded first on the support surface, to the first laser diode bar (height position = thickness of thick spacer), to the first spacer (height position = sum of the thicknesses of thick spacer and laser diode bar), and so on, so that the same anti-tip effect can be achieved for the last laser diode bar or spacer loaded.

[0089] In the above embodiment, as explained with reference to Figures 7 and 8, by lowering the guide pin from above the last loaded member and moving it to a predetermined protruding position, it is expected that the effect of suppressing warping can be achieved even if the loaded laser diode bars or spacers are relatively significantly warped. Of course, if the laser diode bars or spacers are not significantly warped due to the shape of the laser diode bars, the conditions of the manufacturing process, and other various conditions before loading, it is also possible to configure the guide pin to protrude directly at a height position from the support surface.

[0090] Furthermore, from the viewpoint of preventing the protruding and retracting movements of the guide pin from causing the loaded laser diode bars or spacers to fall over, it is preferable that the thickness of the guide pin is not large, and as an example, it is preferable that the thickness be between 30 μm and 100 μm.

[0091] In the above embodiment, the guide pin is exemplified as a rectangular parallelepiped with a substantially uniform width and thickness, but there is no restriction on the shape of the guide pin as long as it can prevent the loaded laser diode bars and spacers from falling over. Also, although the guide pin is exemplified as a single pin arranged at substantially the center in the longitudinal direction of the loaded laser diode bars and spacers, there is no restriction on the arrangement position or the number of guide pins as long as it can prevent the laser diode bars and spacers from falling over toward the regulating surface.

[0092] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the shape of the head of the suction collet that loads the laser diode bar is exemplified as one with two separate tips, but various shapes of the head of the suction collet can be used as long as there is no interference with the guide pin. Also, there is no problem if the head of the suction collet that loads the laser diode bar and the head of the suction collet that loads the spacer are the same or different in shape. Furthermore, the suction collet that loads the spacer can be used to load the thick spacer, and in this case, the head of the suction collet can be provided with suction ports that suck the spacer and the thick spacer, respectively, taking into account the shape and weight of the thick spacer.

[0093] In addition, in the bar holder, which is the loading jig shown in the above embodiment, an example is shown in which a slit-shaped suction port is formed on the regulating surface. However, it goes without saying that it is also possible to imagine cases in which a slit-shaped suction port is not necessary, for example, when various conditions such as the inclination angle of the regulating surface make it easy for the side surfaces of the laser diode bar and spacer to be loaded to be aligned flush.

[0094] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the bar holder and guide pin, which are the loading jig, move downward by a predetermined amount (C) after the suction collet is retracted, but it is also clear that the height of the suction collet may be changed without changing the height of the bar holder and guide pin.

[0095] The loading jigs, such as the bar holder and guide pins, need to have flat, clean surfaces and be made of materials with a certain level of rigidity, so they can be made well using metallic materials such as stainless steel or iron.

[0096] In addition, although illustrations and detailed explanations are omitted, by providing a clamping mechanism or the like capable of holding the entire stack of laser diode bars and spacers loaded on the bar holder, which is a loading jig, the stack of laser diode bars and spacers can be easily moved to the next surface treatment process, such as a sputtering process, after the loading process is completed. [Industrial Applicability]

[0097] The loading device disclosed in the present application is useful as a loading device that prevents the laser diode bars and spacers from falling over on the loading jig, and is particularly useful as a loading device that can load even thin laser diode bars well. [Explanation of symbols]

[0098] 41 Suction collet head 51 Bar holder (loading jig) 51a Regulatory aspects 51b Support surface 55 Guide pin 60 Laser Diode Bars 71 Spacer 100 Loading device

Claims

1. A loading device that alternately loads laser diode bars and spacers on a loading jig, the loading jig has a control surface on which a side surface of the laser diode bar and a side surface of the spacer come into contact, and a support surface perpendicular to the control surface and on which the laser diode bar and the spacer are loaded, The regulating surface is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, A guide pin capable of protruding and retracting from the restriction surface is provided, The loading device is characterized in that the guide pin retracts from the regulating surface when the laser diode bar or the spacer is loaded onto the loading jig, and protrudes from the regulating surface again after the laser diode bar or the spacer is loaded, and is positioned with a predetermined gap between it and a height position from the support surface which is the sum of the thicknesses of all components loaded on the support surface.

2. 2. The loading device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined gap size is less than 60% of the width of the laser diode bar.

3. The loading device according to claim 1 , wherein the guide pin protrudes from the regulating surface at a position where a gap wider than the predetermined gap is formed, and then moves to a position where the predetermined gap is formed.

4. The loading device according to claim 1, wherein an adsorption collet that transfers the laser diode bar or the spacer to the loading device brings the side of the laser diode bar or the spacer to be loaded close to the regulating surface at a position above the guide pin, and then, after the guide pin retracts from the regulating surface, moves the adsorbed laser diode bar or the spacer downward to load it.

5. 2. The loading device according to claim 1, wherein after the guide pin protrudes to a position having the specified gap, the loading jig and the guide pin move downward along the regulating surface by an amount equivalent to the thickness of the laser diode bar or spacer to be loaded next.

6. The loading device according to claim 1 , further comprising suction ports on the regulating surface for suctioning side surfaces of the loaded laser diode bar and the spacer.

7. 2. The loading device according to claim 1, further comprising a pressing member capable of supporting a side surface of the loaded laser diode bar and the loaded spacer opposite to the regulating surface.

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